Collin Sexton Carries Alabama Crimson Tide To Avoid Upset

Collin Sexton committed to Alabama as the country’s best point guard, and he’s kept that title to start his young career. After three games, he’s averaging 25.3 points and 4.7 assists while boasting a blistering shooting clip of 63.4 percent. The University of Texas at Arlington was his latest victim, and he carried the Crimson Tide to their third win of the season.

Alabama ranks 25th in the AP poll, and a loss to the Mavericks would’ve been crushing. It was a back-and-forth contest for most of the night, and the Tide were able to pull out the 77-76 victory after dominating the second-half. Sexton led the charge. Overall, he had 29 points on 8-of-15 shooting, marking a new season-high.

As the game wore on, Sexton became more and more aggressive, eventually working his way to the free throw line 14 times, where he made 11. It was a huge confidence booster. Heading into the game, the freshman had made just six of his previous 13 attempts. The Mavericks didn’t have anyone who could match up physically with the 6-3 guard, so he bullied his way into the paint, and his athleticism allowed him to sky over whoever helped.

Sexton put up 14 points in the second-half. His jumper was failing him, so the only fix was to attack the basket. Nine of his 14 foul shots came during the final 20 minutes.

With 1:40 left, Sexton tightened his grip on the game. He was responsible for all four points down the stretch, which included three huge free throws and an and-one that gave Alabama a 77-73 lead with 29 seconds left. Unfortunately, he missed the free throws.

Texas-Arlington cut the deficit to one after a three from Erick Neal. They would have the final possession. It came down to Neal and Sexton going one-on-one, and Sexton bottled up the senior, forcing him into a tough fadeaway that caught air as the clock expired.

Following the game, Mavericks coach Scott Cross had high praise for Sexton. “He can do a little bit of everything,” said Cross, according to Ben Jones of Tide Sports. “He took control of the game.”